Rotterdam

Our two days in Rotterdam were spent seeing some marvellous, different sights and architecture.

We travelled thirty minutes or so to The Hague, with its imposing Binnenhof (parliament) and streets of most elegant buildings.

We also took a look into the Mauritshuis, the 17th-century home of the art-loving (and slave-trading) Prince John Maurice. Filled with Rembrandts, Vermeers, Reubens and the like, it was an impressive collection in a wonderful building. Still, you can only see so many “still life with banana” or “portrait of a nobleman” or “collection of nymphs and slightly chubby bare-breasted ladies” before it’s time to move on.

The Peace Palace, built in 1913 and housing the International Court of Justice, was funded by the master-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to the tune of $US50 million in today’s money.

Back on the train, passing through typical green, canal-crossed, sheep- and cow-studded Dutch countryside, we returned to modern, quirky Rotterdam.

We went to the Markthall, a futuristic giant blimp of a building, with market stalls inside and expensive apartments inside the walls.

Then we walked down to the Cube Houses, a collection of strange-looking apartments, with hexagonal interior rooms that simply can’t fit regular furniture. Designed in 1977 by architect Piet Blom, they very much invite the question: why?

This led us to the old port, a canal basin filled with old barges and ships that have mostly been converted to residences and was a pleasant and interesting contrast from the ultra-modern design of most of the city.

For another change we ventured over to Delfshaven, another historic canal area that has retained some of its charm, and is reached by walking down a street containing kilometres of exactly identical apartments.

In all, we had a great time in Rotterdam and surrounds. An easy ride on the Metro took us to Hoek van Holland and the ferry to Harwich and the next stage of our journey.Leggi altro